25 pressing questions we still need answered on 'Game of Thrones'

Warning:
There are spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones," as well as
speculation regarding potential future events based on theories
from the show and books.

"Game of Thrones" still manages to shock each season, leaving
viewers unsure of what's to come.

Even readers of the book series can't answer some of the
questions left from the last season.

The show returns April 24, and while some questions - Is Jon Snow
alive? Will he be brought back from the dead? - will be answered
sometime during the sixth season, others can't be answered until
the end of the series and some might never be answered.

Here are 25 loose ends and general questions "Game of Thrones"
has yet to answer:

Who are Jon Snow's real parents?

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HBO

Jon Snow is the bastard son of Eddard Stark, or at least that's
how the story goes. One name thrown around as Snow's possible
mother is Ashara Dayne, an early love interest for Eddard. But
during a conversation with King Robert Baratheon about Snow's
mom, Eddard mentions Wylla, who was a wet nurse to the Dayne
family. But even with these names, an extremely popular fan
theory says Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna
Stark, Eddard's sister. It's an
extensive theory that may be proven true (or false) this
year.

Is Jon Snow alive/will he be brought back from the dead?

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Jon Snow died on 'Game of Thrones,' or maybe not?

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HBO

Both season five and book five left Snow's fate hanging in the
balance after he was stabbed repeatedly by members of the Night's
Watch. While absolutely
everyone involved in "Game of Thrones" has said Snow is
deader than dead,
fans think that's not truly the case. He might be dead for
now, but we've seen characters brought back from the dead before.
All men must die, but
we don't think Snow's time is up just yet.

What do the Dothraki intend on doing with Daenerys?

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HBO

Daenerys was found by the Dothraki at the end of season five and
season six will see her as a
captive. After Khal Drogo died, she was supposed to join the
other widowed khaleesis in Vaes Dothrak, the only Dothraki city,
but instead left. Now that they have found her, will she be
punished for leaving? Will she be forced to stay? Will Drogon
come to her rescue? Will she escape on her own?

Who are the Sons of the Harpy/who is leading them?

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HBO

This insurgent group opposes Daenerys Targaryen's rule in Meereen
and slaughter her supporters and those who work for her. They are
suspected of being noble families and slavers who lost power once
she took over. We have no idea who exactly is in the group or who
is even leading them.

How will Tyrion rule Meereen?

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Helen Sloan/HBO

Tyrion made it to Meereen and after Daenerys flies off on
Drogon's back, Daario convinces Tyrion to rule Meereen in Dany's
absence. Daario and Jorah leave to find the missing queen and
Tyrion is left to rule the city with the help of Varys. How will
he manage the Sons of the Harpy? Will he be able to keep control?
Tyrion hasn't met Daenerys in the books, so everything is a
mystery from here.

Is the Hound really dead?

At the end of season four, Arya walked away from a mortally
wounded Hound (Sandor Clegane) and refused to mercy-kill him. But
thanks to the extensive
Cleganebowl theory, many fans think he's not quite dead. Fans
think he will return to fight his brother, known as "The
Mountain," in a trial by combat. "The Mountain" was supposed to
have died after Oberyn Martell stabbed him with a poisoned spear,
but in both the books and show, he is presumed to have been
"saved." The zombie-esque man is believed to be the newest member
of the kingsguard, Ser Robert Strong.

What do the White Walkers want?

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Game of Thrones screencap

White Walkers were first introduced in season one (originally
referred to as the Others, which is still their name in the
books) and more information has been revealed each season, but we
still don't know what they want. The White Walker army launched
an attack on Hardhome at the end of the fifth season and grew in
number after reviving those who were killed, but what for? Do
they want a seat on the Iron Throne? Probably not, but I mean,
what's their overall plan here? What's their origin story?

Who exactly is the Night's King and where does he derive his power from?

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HBO

Folklore recounted by Bran in the books says the Night's King was
the 13th commander of the Night's Watch when he fell in love with
a woman whose description matches that of the White Walkers. He's
presumed to be long dead. In the show, the leader of the band of
White Walkers has been called the Night's King by the show's
creators. Is this character the same one from Bran's folklore? If
that's the case, was the woman a White Walker and did she change
him? He raised wights after the battle of Hardhome without
touching them in season five and changed a live baby into a White
Walker in season four. Is he the only one with these abilities?
Also, will that baby grow?

Where are humans going to get enough weapons to defeat the White Walkers?

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HBO

For clarification purposes, there are White Walkers and then
there are wights. Wights are dead beings brought back to life by
White Walkers and are susceptible to fire. White Walkers on the
other hand can only be killed by weapons made of dragonglass or
Valyrian steel, at least as far as we know.

Where are humans going to get their hands on enough of these
weapons to defeat the White Walkers? Can dragon fire kill them?
Valyrian steel is said to have been forged with dragon fire, so
that would make sense.

Whatever happened to Benjen Stark?

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HBO

Benjen Stark, Eddard's brother, was a First Ranger of the Night's
Watch. After taking Jon to the wall, he heads north of the Wall.
Benjen's horse later returns without his master, while the bodies
of two rangers that accompanied him are discovered. So what
happened to him? Did he die or has he been wandering alive north
of the Wall? Was he turned into a White Walker? One theory claims
Benjen could be Coldhands, a dead, sentient being (from the
books) who first helps Sam and Gilly escape from wights and then
leads Bran, Hodor, and the Reed siblings to the three-eyed crow.
George R.R. Martin apparently says no, but who really knows?
Will we ever see him again?

How was the Wall built?

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Game of Thrones/HBO screenshot

This gigantic wall (about 700 feet tall, 300 miles long, and 300
feet wide, according to the books) separates the the Seven
Kingdoms from the rest of Westeros. Defended by the Night's Watch
in various castles, though most are in disrepair and many are
unguarded, this extensive wall is intricate and made entirely of
ice. Was magic used? How long did it take to put up? Who did it?

What's going on with the Brotherhood Without Banners?

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HBO

The last we saw of this outlaw group, they were handing Gendry
over to Melisandre in exchange for gold in season three. And the
ragtag group is still being led by Beric Dondarrion, a man who
has been revived from the dead multiple times. But what's their
purpose and what have they been up to since? In the books, Beric
gives up his life to bring Catelyn Stark (Lady
Stoneheart) back from the dead and the zombified lady leads
the men to exact revenge on those who attacked her and her
family. Will we finally see this plotline move forward or are
these men just roaming around Westeros?

Where is Gendry? What's his purpose?

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HBO

Gendry was last seen rowing away into the night in season three.
He was shipping off into the unknown - Davos told him to go to
King's Landing - after it was discovered that he was a bastard
son of Robert Baratheon and Melisandre wanted to burn him alive
as a gift to the Lord of Light. Did he ever make it or did he
perish at sea? Fans just want some
closure. (I'm hoping he's alive and well.) The books don't
help with this question since this plot doesn't exist. He doesn't
know he's the dead king's bastard son and instead has kept with
the Brotherhood Without Banners. He was still alive as of the
fourth book, "A Feast for Crows." But as the former king's
bastard, he's got royal blood, so where does that leave him?

Where are Rickon, Osha, and Shaggydog and what have they been up to?

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HBO

Rickon, the youngest of the Starks, separated from Bran during
season three and hasn't been seen since. Bran instructed Osha, a
wilding, to take him to the Umber home, a family loyal to the
Starks, so the two of them - plus Shaggydog - were last seen
heading there. In the fifth book, Rickon is said to be alive and
on the island of Skagos. So did they make it to the planned
destination or end up somewhere else? Are they still alive? Will
the Stark family ever be reunited?

Why is Bran a warg?

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HBO

So we all know Bran is a warg, someone with the ability to enter
the minds of animals to see the world through their eyes and also
control them. We also know he has the ability of greensight,
which means he has prophetic dreams. It looks like we'll learn
more about his abilities this season, but why does he posses
them, and is he the only Stark child with them?

Whatever happened to Nymeria?

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HBO

The Starks and their direwolves are basically inseparable, but
after Nymeria, Arya's direwolf, attacked Joffrey in season one,
Arya was forced to send her into the wild to spare her life. She
hasn't been seen since. And while this seems sort of irrelevant,
Nymeria appears in all five books and is often mentioned as
leading a pack in the Riverlands. Arya also has wolf dreams,
which imply that she has warg abilities, like Bran. Will Arya
realize these abilities? Will the two be reunited?

Is Arya really going to give up being a Stark to live the life of a true Faceless Man?

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courtesy of HBO

To join the Faceless Men, Arya must give up her identity to then
become "no one" and have the ability to become different people.
But as a stubborn Stark, it's hard to imagine her letting her
past go and not avenging her family and friends.

What will become of the Tyrells?

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HBO

The Tyrell siblings, Margaery and Loras, are imprisoned by the
Faith Militant and are to stand trial, Loras for homosexuality
and Margaery for giving a false testimony, so what's to become of
the siblings this next season? Their grandmother, the sassy
Olenna Tyrell, and the rest of the Tyrell family probably won't
let this stand, so will there be war? Anyway, this differs from
the books, so this is up in the air for now.

What will Sam learn at Oldtown?

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Helen Sloan/HBO

We left Sam, Gilly, and her baby traveling by ship to Oldtown,
where Sam hopes to become a Maester at the Citadel. He knows he's
not much of a fighter and with the threat of the White Walkers,
someone has to find a solution. The Maesters know more than they
are letting on, so as Sam learns more about the "Game of Thrones"
world and history, we should also learn and maybe get some of
these questions answered.

What does Littlefinger want?

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HBO

Petyr Baelish, Littlefinger, is cunning and sly and is a
mastermind at trickery, but what does he want? Is it the Iron
Throne? He has managed to weave his way into the trust of
different families and has backstabbed those who trust him, so
does he have a side? He's still in the North (not back in King's
Landing like in the books), so who is he going to run into up
there?

So what's Brienne up to now?

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Helen Sloan/HBO

Brienne killed Stannis at the end of the fifth season after he
confessed to killing his brother, Renly, whom Brienne had been
sworn to protect and was trying to save Sansa.
Previews for the new season show her and Podrick in the
Riverlands, so how does she get from the North to the Riverlands?
Again, this is all different from the books, so Brienne's fate
and path are unknown.

What happened at the Tower of Joy?

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HBO

Trailers for the new season tease a flashback to the
Tower of Joy, the place where Eddard Stark found his sister
Lyanna dying and she made him make a promise. What was it? Why
did she die? If these scenes are a flashback - or a dream Bran
has - and we see what took place, this might prove Jon Snow's
parentage.

What about the Freys?

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HBO

Led by Walder Frey, the Frey family is best known for betraying
the Stark family in what was known as the Red Wedding. Walder
hasn't appeared since season three, but the North remembers and
it can be assured that Stark loyalists will exact their revenge
eventually. After all, Walder and other Frey family members are
set to appear in the sixth season.

What is Brynden Tully up to?

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HBO

Another seemingly forgotten character on the show is Catelyn
Stark's uncle, Brynden Tully, also known as "the Blackfish." The
last we saw, he managed to escape with his life during the Red
Wedding of season three because he was outside going to the
bathroom when the slaughter occurred. Did he make it Riverrun and
will he mount an attack on those who killed his niece? Rumor has
it he's making a return this season. In the books, he holds
Riverrun and holds the Lannister and Frey forces back for several
months, so these events may take place this season. Brynden
ultimately escapes before the castle is surrendered and is
considered an outlaw in the books, so his future is still in the
balance regardless.

Who is going to end up on the Iron Throne?

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The Iron Throne

source

Getty Images / Lisa Maree Williams

Numerous people have sat atop the Iron Throne and many families
have fought to get there. Tommen Baratheon currently sits on the
throne, but as the bastard son of Jamie Lannister, he doesn't
have a real claim. But the Targaryens originally held the throne
and Daenerys has been trying to make it back to Westeros and take
it back since season one. So who has a real claim and who will
ultimately win out? We won't know this until the show (and books)
wrap up, but it won't stop
people from guessing and debating.